Editorial for January 19, 2006


Rendell for mayor

Just a few days ago, Philadelphia marked the 10th anniversary of the Blizzard of ’96, when 30.7 inches of snow paralyzed us. Many Northeast residents were trapped in their homes for days, victims of the city’s non-existent snowplow effort.

It was not Ed Rendell’s finest hour, for sure, but it was the only major blemish on his terrific record as America’s Mayor.

Therefore, gentle voters of the Keystone State, we hereby give Mr. Rendell some food for thought. We urge him to drop his bid for a second term as governor this year and focus instead on a bid to reclaim Philadelphia City Hall next year. Much to the chagrin of few, John Street cannot run for a third consecutive term as mayor. Who better to succeed him than his predecessor and recent political pal, Ed Rendell?

Aside from Mr. Rendell’s pitiful "We are not a snow city" excuse in ’96, he did exceedingly better as mayor than he’s doing as governor. Harrisburg has not been particularly kind to this politically weak gov, who’s no match for the Republican-controlled state legislature.

Mr. Rendell’s property-tax reform is a joke, and Pennsylvanians have yet to see a penny from slot machine revenue, while they continue to flock across the river to the putrid, smoke-filled casinos in Atlantic City.

As mayor, Mr. Rendell was a uniter, not a divider, whose can-do attitude pulled Philadelphia out of its fiscal nightmare.

As governor, however, Fast Eddie had a pivotal and disastrous role in last year’s pay-raise fiasco. Had he not caved in to legislators and instead been governed by his conscience in vetoing the illegal pay raise, he would have avoided a major distraction and kept a good number of state representatives and senators — Democrat and Republican — out of trouble. The governor has not governed all that well. Despite that, however, he is still beloved in Philadelphia.

There’s no place like home. ••

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